So yeah, we’re all chasing that same dream.

Having one app to rule them all.

A single, perfect system where our tasks, projects, and all our awesome ideas can live and work together in perfect harmony.

But what if that dream is actually a trap?

What if putting everything in one bucket, especially a project management tool like ClickUp (which I love), is quietly sabotaging your most valuable asset?

That asset is your thinking.

This is why I practice something I call The ‘Second Brain’ Split.

It’s a simple philosophy: Your project manager is for doing. Your ‘second brain’ app is for thinking.

Now, the caveat is you can do project management in your thinking tool, but it won’t work as well. And you can build a second brain in your project manager, but that won’t work as well either.

Splitting is good. Here’s why.

When you store your personal knowledge in a tool that’s not built for it:

• You don’t truly own your data.
• Your notes aren’t always private (think accidentally giving a support tech access to everything).
• You can’t easily export them.
• And most importantly, you can’t access them offline.

All your best ideas essentially become prisoners of the platform.

A recent example of this…

I’m taking an eight-hour course on The History of Western Music, a passion of mine right up there with VR and building a business.

I use ClickUp to track my progress and deadlines. It’s a perfect engine for that kind of thing.

But the notes for this course? They live somewhere else entirely.

They live in an app called Obsidian, where they’re just plain text files on my computer.

When I’m jotting down thoughts during a lecture, I need speed. Not the frustrating writing lag you get in most cloud-based apps. (I’m looking at you, ClickUp… and definitely looking at you, Notion).

But here’s where the real advantage comes in.

While writing about, let’s say, music notation, I can put it in [[double square brackets]].

That means I’ve instantly linked my notes to a separate “atomic note” titled music notation.

I don’t even have to create that note yet. The link exists, and I can see all the other places I’ve mentioned it. That single note connects me to other ideas I’ve had about this newsletter, or about sight-reading jazz standards on the guitar.

That’s how our brain works, right? We start on one idea and it triggers another.

This is how understanding is built. Not in a checklist, but in a web of connected ideas.

Clarity, Not Complexity

My rule is simple.

ClickUp is for the business. It houses tasks, project notes, client work, leads, sales data—that kind of stuff. It’s the engine that creates Systematic Freedom. I put in processes, I put in systems, I get out freedom.

My Second Brain is for me. It houses my ideas, my learnings, and my creative connections.

It’s like a lab where my insights are born. (I don’t want to say a garden because I am useless at gardening and everything dies).

The benefits of this split are pretty big:

• Speed: Capture ideas as fast as you think them.
• Ownership: Your notes are your files. Yours forever.
• Privacy: No one sees your thoughts but you.
• Future-Proof: Plain text has been around for years. It’s not going anywhere.

Your business engine and your second brain are two very different things.

They both deserve a specialised home.

Your Next Step

If your business engine in ClickUp is feeling clunky or chaotic, that’s where I can help. Getting your tasks and projects streamlined is the first step toward getting your time back for what really matters.

Feeling stuck, or just know your current setup is costing you time and money?

Book a free, no-obligation ClickUp Audit call with me here.

​🗓️ Let’s chat​

We’ll dive into your workflow, find the bottlenecks, and map out a clear path to the systematic freedom you and your family deserve.

See you in your inbox next week!

(I read every reply to this newsletter and always respond, so feel free to share your thoughts.)